by Kevin McCaskill Jr.
2/26/24 * 4:15 PM
(AHMERST, MA) - Every A10 game for the Minutemen is an important one. On Saturday afternoon, they hosted St. Bonaventure at The Mullins Center. St. Bonaventure beat UMass earlier this month in Olean, NY. The Minutemen controlled that game but couldn’t score in the last three minutes.
Saturday’s game was “deja vu”.
UMass committed too many turnovers in the 1st half. On the Minutemen’s first possession, Center Josh Cohen turned the ball over. Forward Matt Cross had 3 turnovers in the first four minutes of the game. Even though they had turnovers, St. Bonaventure couldn’t capitalize and convert the turnovers into made baskets.
The game was close in the 1st half. The Minutemen never led by more than six points.
St. Bonaventure started to play “inside➡️out”. They fed the ball in the post to Centers Chad Venning and Noel Brown. They got the ball and attacked the basket. They either scored, got fouled or kicked the ball out to open perimeter players so they could make plays.
The Minutemen led at halftime 38-36.
In the second, St. Bonaventure gained some momentum by highlighting Venning in the post. They took the lead on a 3 by Guard Charles Pride. That 3 put St. Bonaventure ahead 44-42.
Halfway through the 2nd, St. Bonaventure Guard Moses Flowers made a 3 to put them ahead 58-52. UMass tied the game after two 3s by Freshman Guard Robert Davis Jr. and Forward Daniel Hankins-Sanford.
St. Bonaventure responded with a quick 6-0 run and were up 64-58.
UMass responded with an 8-2 run, capped off by a Cross dunk. The game was tied at 66.
Then, it happened, again.
Over the last 3 minutes and 32 seconds of the game, UMass scored 1 point, a FT by Josh Cohen.
The Minutemen went 0-7 ftom the field down the stretch and allowed 9 points from St. Bonaventure.
St. Bonaventure won in Amherst 75-67.
Cohen finished with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Rahsool Diggins scored 12 points; Jaylen Curry scored 11 points.
Venning led the way for St. Bonaventure with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Flowers scored 15 points. Mika Adams-Woods scored 14 points and had 5 assists.
After the game, St. Bonaventure HC Mark Schmidt, UMass players Ryan Marcus and Daniel Hankins-Sanford and UMass HC Frank Martin spoke with the media.
Schmidt: “UMass is really a physical team”; “It wasn’t perfect; we’re not a pretty team”.
Marcus: “I’m glad this year we’re playing well and have a chance to make some noise come March”.
Hankins-Sanford: “We didn’t bring the energy we are coached to bring…They just wanted it more”.
Martin: “Extremely thankful to our fans. They continue to come out and support our guys, in bigger and bigger numbers. Unfortunately, we’re not there yet…We’re still in the process of trying to learn how to be a winning program”; “I gotta go back and reflect on my decisions through the course of the game”.
Despite the loss, one positive development to take away from this game is that 7,016 people came to see the Minutemen! That is largest crowd this season and the largest crowd since November 2014.
UMass is on the road this week. The first stop is on Tuesday in the nation’s capital to play George Washington. The Minutemen beat GW January 20th in Amherst, 81-67. The game on Tuesday starts @ 7 PM, on ESPN+.
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